US model says she raised S$1.36m for Australia bushfires with nude photos, Instagram deactivates her account

KUALA LUMPUR — As the bush fires continue to rage across Australia, burning down homes and destroying wildlife, help has showed up from all corners of the globe.

That includes Los Angeles-based Instagram model Kaylen Ward, who said she would send one nude picture to every person who donates at least US$10 (S$13.50) to charities providing relief to the bushfire crisis.

Once proof of donation is sent to the model, the person will receive a nude.

According to Ms Ward, who calls herself “The Naked Philanthropist,” an estimated US$1 million has been raised since she kickstarted the initiative on January 3.

The 20-year-old’s unorthodox fundraising method reportedly raised US$100,000 in a day and her story has been making headlines since.

Her original tweet has been retweeted 80,000 times.

However, due to guidelines violation that included posting “sexually suggestive content,” Instagram deactivated the model’s account which had 50,000 followers on Saturday.

“My IG got deactivated, my family disowned me, and the guy I like won’t talk to me because of that tweet. But f**k it, save the koalas,” Ward wrote on Instagram in response.

The model also revealed on Twitter that her nude pictures have been leaked, warning followers and donors that doing so is illegal.

Ms Ward, who has been working as a nude model since August 2019, told Guardian Australia she was on holiday in the Caribbean when she read about the bushfires in Australia.

She told the publication she made a personal donation of US$1,000.

“I had a substantial amount of followers, maybe 30,000 at the time and I thought that a lot of my followers would pitch in and send in some donations for the wildfires,” she was quoted as saying.

In an interview with Buzzfeed, the California influencer and online sex worker said she expected to raise US$1,000 but the tweet’s popularity led to thousands of messages.

Ms Ward had to even hire a team of four to go through the flood of messages to verify their donation confirmations.

She added that the fires in Australia is an issue that deeply resonates with her.

Last year, during the Carr fire in California, Ms Ward and her family lived on a houseboat for days.

While their home survived the fire, their neighbours weren’t so lucky.

“I got to see firsthand how many people were affected,” she told Buzzfeed.

According to news reports, the bushfires in Australia have destroyed an estimated 6.3 million hectares, killed 25 people and nearly half a billion animals in New South Wales as of Jan 5. MALAY MAIL